
Editor-in-Chief
JK News Today Commentary
On Tuesday Pakistani news outlets were filled with a 3.53 minute video on Kashmir in a crude attempt to change the narrative that the world has greeted with aplomb following abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. The video, sponsored and prepared by the ISPR or Inter-Services Public Relations, sought to drive home its propaganda that everything is not hunky-dory in the Valley and people were struggling for their rights. This is typical imagination of Pakistani establishment that it has not given up despite resounding rebuffs by the people of Kashmir.
The release of the video titled “ Kashmir bane ga Pakistan “ or “ Kashmir will become Pakistan,” was timed on the eve of the observance of what Pakistan calls,” Kashmir Solidarity Day,,” a product of the mindset of 1990s when Pakistan sensed success in its objective of derailing Kashmir in all respects , from murders, massacres to graves and imposition of ideas of self-destruction on the masses through the use of guns and bombs.
There are multiple purposes for which the Pakistani establishment has made this video. There could be an argument that there is nothing new as Pakistan has been making such provocative videos every now and then to target the impressionable minds in the Valley. Yes, that is a statement of truth, but this particular timing of February 2025 has few more objectives. It is to deliver a deceit to the people of Pakistan that Kashmir issue is alive and that this is just a matter of time before the Valley joins their country. There is no other issue with Pakistan to deflect attention from its continuous decline in all spheres. It is trying to sell “Kashmir” to Pakistani audience than to the people in the Valley who have already rejected Pakistan’s plans of involving them in self-destruction.
In this production full of deception, the ISPR has used visuals of the 1990s when Kashmir indeed was in the grip of terrorism and frenzied about the change. Cheated in the 1987 polls, disillusioned youth fed with anti-India narrative at the highest volume, to deliver a message to Pakistanis that Kashmir was still in frenzy. This is biggest lie of the times as the ground situation in the Valley has moved from violence, shutdowns and disruptions in normal life to the new dawn which has heralded prospects of bright future with unlimited opportunities.
Pakistan is deeply frustrated with the normalcy moving toward perfect peace in Kashmir Valley .Its whole game of keeping Kashmir on boil and exploit the youth and vulnerable sections in promoting gun culture, fear and elimination of future of the youth collapsed with a big thud. The abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019 redefined Kashmir as has been rightly observed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah that Kashmir from hub of terrorism of yesteryear has become hub of tourism. Millions of tourists have visited the Valley and enjoyed its beauty and serenity in the most peaceful atmosphere.
The problem for Pakistan emerged on two planks. Kashmiris rejected Pakistan lock stock and barrel as they saw that their Vale has been returned to them by the Modi government. The fact of the matter is that each and every Kashmiri used to curse the cross-border terrorism for defiling their land, culture and ethos. They were looking for opportunity to retrieve it back from darkness thrust on them by dark forces from across the border. The Government of India brought that opportunity to their sight and now it is completely back with them.
Pakistan also suffered bigger jolt when the people in Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) started a rebellion against Pakistan and they raised a banner of revolt against Islamabad-Rawalpindi, seeking secession from Pakistan. After they watched the change in the Valley following abrogation of Article 370 in which tourists and investment travelled to reach there, they felt cheated by Pak rulers. As a result they revolted. Pakistan is using the old wine in new bottle to tell them that what they are watching in Kashmir is not true, but the people know the whole truth.
There still is a larger canvas that Pakistan army is seeking to cover, blindfolding Pakistanis from the issues they are facing, economic distress , political instability, high inflation and many go to bed empty stomach and international scrutiny. America has shown no interest to help Pakistan, China also is getting disappointed by the security situation in the country where terrorists have waylaid its engineers and civilians working on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. Afghanistan has turned hostile to Islamabad because of latter’s duplicity in all matters. Afghan Taliban has started building its own foreign policy independent of Pakistan.
Sindh and Punjab provinces are fighting with each other over the water-sharing arrangement. Punjab’s decision to divert Indus water from Sindh to Cholistan desert in Punjab has angered 60 million population of Sindh. There are strains in the inter-provincial relations, while at the same time a full-fledged rebellion has erupted in Balochistan.
Pakistan is having no answers to these problems, so it has resorted to raking up Kashmir to save itself from imminent collapse.